Ex-Tokyo Disability Facility Worker Referred Over Railroad Crossing Death

From Kyodo via Nikkei

March 10 2026

TOKYO – The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on the 10th referred a 46-year-old former employee of the disability support facility Takinogawa Gakuen Adult Division to prosecutors on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death, over an incident last March in which he allegedly looked away from a man with an intellectual disability (48 at the time), leading to the man being struck and killed by a train at a railroad crossing in Kunitachi, Tokyo, investigative sources said.

According to investigative sources, the man who died was a user of the facility. He had visited the area near the crossing by car together with the former employee and other facility users and got out of the vehicle to watch trains. The former employee was looking at his smartphone inside the car and only noticed the man standing inside the crossing after hearing the train’s horn. He rushed to help but was unable to reach him in time.

The former employee had previously taken the man out to watch trains and reportedly said, “I was overconfident that he would be safe even by himself. I am very sorry.” The facility issued a comment saying, “We deeply apologize to the victim and his family for failing to protect such a precious life. We will make every effort to ensure the safety of users and restore trust.”

The allegation in the referral states that on March 8 last year, at a railroad crossing between Yagawa Station and Yaho Station on the JR Nambu Line, the suspect failed to accompany or assist the man, resulting in the collision with a train that caused his death. The police attached a recommendation for “strict punishment” when referring the case to prosecutors.

In February this year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government imposed an administrative sanction on the operating corporation Takinogawa Gakuen, suspending the facility’s acceptance of new users for 12 months.